How To Erase iPhone’s Data Before Selling It

For security reasons, there is a need for one to wipe off his personal data from his mobile phone before transferring ownership as it could be detrimental.

A new version of iPhone will soon be available in the stores nationwide. Apple just launched iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with upgraded features and it started shipping on September 22.

The phones come with 64GB or 256GB storage. Come November 3, the company will also start receiving pre-orders for iPhone X to mark its 10th anniversary.

Which of the latest version of iPhone has caught your fancy? Are you planning to trade in your old phone for a new iPhone? Whichever version you decide to buy, remember you will need to backup all your information on the old one. Your pictures, videos, documents, emails, contacts, and other personal information should not be shared with the new buyer.

Follow these simple steps highlighted by www.lifewire.com to make sure that every trace of you and your life has been wiped from the phone.

Make a backup of your iPhone’s data

If you are getting a new iPhone, you will need to make sure that your old one is backed up so that when you restore the data to your new phone. Everything will be current and you won’t have to start from the scratch.

Depending on which version of iOS you are using and your sync preference settings, you should either backup to your computer or the iCloud service.

Currently, the iCloud service will backup almost everything that you need to restore your iPhone but it is possible that some apps will not support backup to the iCloud.

Also, some really old versions of iPhones such as the original iPhone and iPhone 3G don’t have access to the iCloud service so you will need to use a computer as backup using the iPhone’s docking cable. Follow the steps below to do this.

Connect your iPhone to the computer you normally sync it with.

Open iTunes and click on your iPhone from the left-hand navigation pane.

From the iPhone’s page on the right side of the screen, click the “Back up to this computer” check box.

Right-click the iPhone from the window pane on the left side of the screen and click “Back Up” from the pop-up menu.

Note: If you have purchased some items on your phone and haven’t transferred these purchases to your computer yet, right-click the iPhone and choose “Transfer Purchases” to transfer the purchases prior to backup.

Make sure the back-up process succeeds before performing the following steps:

Erase all of your iPhone’s data and settings

Since you don’t want the buyer to have access to your personal data, you will need to wipe the phone clean of all of your personal data. Follow these instructions to clear the data on your phone.

Tap the settings ‘gear icon’ from the home screen or any other page it is located on your iPhone.

Tap the “General” settings menu item.

Choose the “Reset” menu item.

Tap on the “Erase All Content and Settings” menu item.

The process can take between a few minutes to several hours so it is probably something that you don’t want to do while you are waiting in line to trade your phone in.

I found the hard way that just because you wiped your iPhone’s data doesn’t mean that everything linking you to the phone has been removed. There are some apps that may still be linked based on your phone’s unique hardware ID.

If you use any apps that allow you to authenticate based on your iPhone’s unique hardware ID, you should visit the apps websites to unlink the phone to your account. This is because some apps retain your personal information as long as they are still linked your iPhone’s unique ID. You can link your new phone to your account after you install the apps on your new iPhone.